Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?– John 11:26
The everlasting, ever-living Christ entered the realm of death in order to spoil death of all its strength. Death and the devil had no more power over Jesus than a fortress that is being ransacked has over its invaders!
Christ bowed His head and entered the doorway of death, not out of defeat, but “that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14). Jesus Christ raided death and brought all of His children out of its dungeons and into the light of His own eternal and glorious heaven.
It is no wonder, therefore, that Jesus would admonish us to “fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). There is an end worse than death, Jesus reminds us: death will be defeated one of these days, but hell is forever.
John gives us this graphic description of the end times: “in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them” (Revelation 9:6). What a contrast between this awful scene and the gracious words of Jesus, that those who trust in Him will never die.
For each child of God, it will one day become a reality that “death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54), that our Savior Jesus Christ “hath abolished death” (2 Timothy 1:10), and that God will wipe away every tear and “there shall be no more death” (Revelation 21:4). No more death. Can you believe it? Do you believe Him?–Baptist Bible Hour
